Traumatic wounds contain devitalized tissue, bacteria and associated bodies, grass, soil and bone fragments depending on how and where the injury occurred. Wounds caused by blast impact are usually more severe, and are contaminated with an even greater variety of foreign bodies. The debris can include weapon shells, fabric, gravel, ceramic shards and shrapnel. The wound also will contain devitalized skin and muscle tissue The speed and quality of wound debridement in the initial treatment stage are crucial to prevent the type of infections that lead to mortality and morbidity.
A surgeon tending to such wounds, as a rule, presently uses visual observation and mechanical methods (hand, forceps and scalpel) to identify and remove the objects and devitalized tissue. Although ceiling and head mounted lights are often used for illumination, the light scattered from wet tissue and shadows from the surgical instruments dramatically reduce the visual contrast necessary for locating and removing such objects.